Definition and Use of Ball Plunger
A ball plunger is a type of manual plunger that is usually used to help remove clogs in toilets. There are several distinct design elements that make a ball plunger different from other types of manual plungers used to unclog drain. Therefore, this guide will explain to you the differences between ball plungers and other types as well as how to use one to clear clogs in drains.
Description of a Ball Plunger
A ball plunger looks like a rubber ball whenever it is inserted into the toilet. Thus, the name: ball plunger. If you look at a ball plunger when it is not inserted into a toilet, it doesn't resemble a ball at all. Rather, it has a domed rubber surface at the top and a smaller base which makes it look more like a mushroom than a ball. However, when using the plunger, it does look very much like a rubber ball that has been placed into the drain of your toilet.
Differences in Ball Plungers and Sink Plungers
There are several notable differences between ball plungers and sink plungers. As mentioned above, a ball plunger resembles a mushroom when looking at it from the side. On the other hand, a sink plunger has a much wider base and therefore looks like an arc or semi-circle. Ball plungers are designed primarily for toilets; therefore, the bottom flange area of the plunger is designed to fit the width of most drain openings in toilet bowls.
Because a sink plunger is used on drains of varying sizes and types, the base area of the plunger is much wider. A ball plunger is designed to create a water seal inside the drain, while a sink plunger creates a vacuum outside the drain area and simply pushes water through. Although you can use a sink plunger to unclog a toilet in a fix, it is much more cumbersome and difficult to do than with a ball plunger with a flange that was designed to go inside the drain opening.
How to Use a Ball Plunger
Using a ball plunger to unclog a toilet is not very difficult at all. Generally speaking, you simply insert the ball plunger into the drain opening the toilet and pump it up and down. However, there are a few things that you can do to make using a ball plunger more effective.
Before using a ball plunger to unclog a toilet, you should always make sure that there is some water in the toilet bowl. A ball plunger needs to create a vacuum inside the drain opening of your toilet. This is much easier to accomplish if there is water in the toilet that is already preventing air from going into the drain opening. So, if you are trying to unclog a toilet that has no water in it, take the time and pour a bucket or two of water into the toilet to make using the ball plunger much easier. After the toilet bowl is filled about halfway with water, simply pump the ball plunger up and down to push the clog through and open up the drain.
